…it for house tours and house group visits for this year. Ross Collins has now felled and split all the trunks of the five big beech trees. We will do…

…again for quite a few years. Cherish the new planting area for next spring and say nothing. Two more big trees to come down still. Note the wires and harnesses…

…feeling the frost. Erica darleyense quite nice. Some lapagerias left and odd roses. Plenty of Camellias out, a big vase cut both speciosa hybrids and early double white from below…

…is perfect today while the other two big ones were destroyed by last week’s hailstorms. Magnolia ‘Shirraz’ Magnolia ‘Shirraz’ Magnolia ‘Sayonara’ Magnolia ‘Sayonara’ A large Magnolia ‘Atlas’ above Red Linney….

…all very good. C paniculata very fine. Many, probably all the big Chinese have set for flowers, and many of them for the first time. Camellia sasanqua in flower and…

…out of the New Planting in a week of working days. A very big mess for token staff. 1924 – JCW Hamamelis mollis is open but has not set for…

…a big excitement. Another new sprengeri to match ‘Dusky Pink’. This is a seedling grown Magnolia sprengeri var. sprengeri from Westpelaar originally. A fantastic dark colour for its first flowering….

…– CHW Seeing Crug Farm Nursery exhibiting at the Tregrehan rare plant sale allowed a big purchase which may obviate the need to order from them in the spring. I…

…trimmed up each year to show their colour, texture and nodes. Bamboo classification and (re) naming has been an even bigger and more moving and variable game for the ‘bottom…

…from Smithfield, a great move in the daffs in the pans and also in the Tin Garden. The first big move above ground that we have had. Several coums open….